Young Taiwanese Doctor Back at Work Thanks to Impella® Heart Pump

Dr. Chen-Huan Hsu is a young resident of orthopedics at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan. The 28-year-old had just finished his shift at the hospital and was on his way to a Chinese New Year party when he suddenly collapsed. Dr. Hsu was rushed back to the hospital, where he was met by Dr. Hsiao-Huang (Jason) Chang, who saw the resident was in cardiogenic shock, brought on by myocarditis or an arrhythmia. 

The team placed Dr. Hsu on ECMO support, and Dr. Chang then chose to implant Impella 5.0®, hoping to give Dr. Hsu’s heart a chance to recover. Over the next several days, his condition stabilized, and on the fifth day, Dr. Hsu’s heart function was almost back to normal. On the eve of Chinese New Year, both ECMO and Impella were removed.

Following a recovery of several weeks, Dr. Hsu returned to work, and today he is back treating patients at Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Dr. Chang says he is grateful he had the opportunity to save Dr. Hsu’s life, so the young doctor can pay it forward, treating thousands of other patients in the years still ahead of him. 

As with any medical treatment, individual results may vary. There are potential risks, these risks need to be discussed with your doctor and recovery takes time. The success of this procedure depends on many factors, including your physical condition and your body’s ability to tolerate the procedure. Use care in the selection of your doctors and hospital, based on their skill and experience.